We Meet Again
by 1 Ninja Girl
Summary: This is a sequel to my work Things Left Behind. You may want to read it prior to reading this one.


Disclaimer: They are not mine.

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We Meet Again

Gil Grissom was driving home after pulling a double shift on December 29, 2007 at four forty six PM and he was weary as usual. He passed an intersection on his right and saw a familiar looking black SUV with the hood up and the lights flashing on the narrow shoulder of the road. He passed and a short distance later braked and decided to go back and have a look. He couldn't place in his tired mind why the vehicle was so familiar and it started to nag at his curiosity. He turned at the first safe opportunity in the afternoon traffic and headed for the intersection again. When he made the turn at the intersection He saw two people. The first was a scrawny man in a flannel shirt, jeans and work boots. He did not know the man. The second person was the driver of the SUV and she was still behind the wheel; talking to the man through the window that she had only lowered about an inch. Grissom recognized her at once. He pulled to a stop behind a rusted blue pick up truck that clearly belonged to the man in the flannel shirt; being careful not to park too closely. He didn't want to box the man in. He waited for a break in traffic, and then exited his own vehicle and approached the SUV.

As he came up beside the other man and into her direct line of sight he saw her relax slightly and smile at him. "Heather are you alright?" He nodded a hello to the man who did not seem happy with his arrival on the scene.

Heather Kessler's smile stretched wider and she replied," Yes, I'm alright but my car is giving me some trouble and I'm very glad to see you Mr. Grissom.

Grissom went very still for a few seconds. Something was not right. Her voice was calm, and her smile was genuine, but something was wrong. She was nervous; he could feel it. He knew all too well that Heather didn't rattle easily so he doubted that it was her malfunctioning vehicle that was upsetting her. He looked at other man and stuck his hand out in introduction. "Gil Grissom" he offered.

"Dan" the guy spat out the single word with a sour look on his face and refused to shake the hand Grissom offered him. "It seems you two know each other?" Dan asked eyeing Heather.

"Yes." They said in unison.

"Well I'll go then if you'll be okay Miss" The man called Dan said rudely.

Heather gave Dan a saccharine smile that fooled him, but the irony was not lost to Grissom when she said, "Please do."

Grissom watched Heather observe her rearview mirror until the rusted blue pick up truck was out of sight, and then she climbed out of her vehicle, and caught Grissom by surprise with a light kiss on his cheek. "Thank you very much." She said quietly; smiling at the shocked look on his face. "That man stopped to offer help, but I didn't trust him. He gave me a bad feeling."

"I can see why. I'm not nearly as skilled at reading people as you are, but that guy was not happy to see me here… at all. My showing up pissed him off Heather."

"I know. Your showing up spoiled his plans; whatever they were. That man is very dark; even dangerous. Thank you again." She said with a relieved sigh.

Hr took hold of her hand and squeezed gently. Her hand was ice cold in spite of the fact that it was a typical sunny afternoon in Las Vegas. "You're welcome. What's wrong with the car? Do you know?"

"No and I can't call AAA either. There's no cell reception out here. The car started to act funny so I pulled over. Just in time too; no sooner than I got to the shoulder it died. It won't start, and I confess I know very little about car maintenance. Just the basics really; change a tire, change the oil, and put water in the radiator."

"Well sadly, a lot off people out on the road don't know that much." Grissom said as he checked his phone for reception. He had none. "I'm afraid that I'm not much more knowledgeable about vehicle maintenance that you are." He admitted while peeking at the engine visible from the raised hood. She stood to his right as he looked for anything that was an obvious problem. He saw nothing unusual. He glanced at her and realized that she was nervous again. He arched an eyebrow in concern. "Heather what is it?"

"I've been here at least twenty minutes and I decided not to stop for food shortly before I broke down since I was so close to home. Grissom… I need to eat soon."

He knew instantly that she was referring to low blood sugar due to diabetes. "How soon?" he asked quickly.

"Twenty-five maybe thirty minutes tops." she admitted.

"We'll get anything you want out of your SUV and lock it up. You're coming home with me now." he said taking charge and heading toward the door again. "Is there anything you want me to get out of here for you?" he asked as he looked for the keys. There were none. He eyed her and she removed an object from the pocket of her tailored slacks.

"It's keyless. As long as this little mechanism is near the vehicle I can control door locks, lights, and start the engine. That is if the engine _will_ start." she grinned as she pushed a button and Grissom heard a soft mechanical whirr as the rear door unlocked. "I need my purse, my luggage, and my insulin kit. I'll get my kit and purse if you'll get the large suitcase and garment bag in back."

By the time he had the large and very heavy suitcase stowed in the rear next to his field kit and the garment bag hung properly on a hook Heather was in his front passenger seat and when he closed the rear door of his Tahoe he heard another soft whirring sound from the vehicle in front of him as all the doors locked and then a beeping sound and the lights stopped flashing. He climbed into the driver's seat and slammed his door and started his own engine in a hurry. He was twenty minutes from home, but could make it in ten if he drove fast. He watched her search her purse from the corner of his eye as he started to drive. She found what she wanted; unwrapped the peppermint candy, and popped it into her mouth. She glanced his way. "That will hold me a little longer. You can take me to my house if you'd rather. You don't have to take me home with you. I can tell you're just getting off work; you look exhausted."

"Oh no; my place is closer than yours. I won't risk it. You're coming home with me.' He stated firmly leaving no room for further discussion.

She smiled and nodded once; eying him with a mix of gratitude and curiosity. He didn't know what she was so curious about, nor did he care; he decided after a moment's consideration, as long as she didn't go into diabetic shock before he could get some food into her.

As he drove he decided it was a good idea to make her talk. If she was talking to him then he'd know she was still okay. "You're coming home from a trip somewhere I'm guessing with all that luggage in the back seat."

"Yes, I went to California for my Uncle Henry's funeral. Once I was there, Dad and Nana Zoë asked me to stay for Christmas, or rather Dad _asked_. Nana Zoë _told_ me I was staying. I didn't mind though. I wanted to stay; I just didn't want to invite myself. We may be family, but we just got back together so I thought it'd be best to wait for an invitation."

"Well, I'm glad you got that invitation. Was it a nice holiday for you? Did you get any gifts you really like?"

She gave him a look of wonder and her eyes were shining as she said quietly. "Dad gave me a necklace." She gently caressed the pendant at the end of a gold chain around her neck. The pendant showed nicely against her gray sleeveless sweater that hugged her form as if it had been tailored just for her. He glanced quickly at it as he drove and she turned slightly in the seat for him to have a better look. It was a small black tear shaped stone nestled in gold filigree.

"Is that onyx?" he asked.

"No, it's a black opal; it was my mother's" she smiled sadly." He said he meant to give it to me for my eighteenth birthday, and that he was sorry it was so late. We had that stupid argument and I was so foolish to leave the way I did. Once I did it I didn't know how to undo it Grissom." She shook her head to clear her mind and smiled moving on to happier thoughts. Nana Zoë gave me a beautiful silk scarf that was actually hers. I remember admiring it as a child whenever she wore it. Oh and there is one more thing. She smiled more brightly; teasing his curiosity; I got a little brother too. When Grissom shot her an astonished look she tried unsuccessfully to suppress a delighted giggle. "Dad remarried about four years after I left him. Her name is Sally; she's a nice woman. They have a son. His name is Hayden; he's twenty-one and he's a good kid. It feels a little strange having a step-mother and a kid brother younger than my daughter would have been, but I'll get use to it."

"I remember you telling me two weeks ago that you always wanted a brother. Merry Christmas Heather, even if I am four days late with it. What's with the double "H" monograms?"

She shot him a puzzled look.

"You're all Harper's. as far as I know it started with Howard, your dad, and Henry, your uncle. Then your dad marries Hannah; Brass told me her name. They have you, and now there's Hayden? That can't be coincidence."

"It's not. Nana Zoë likes it. She says the double "H" has a lyrical sound to it. Hence Howard and Henry Harper, and I've never asked but I guess my dad agrees so when he married Mama they just chose to continue with me. With Hayden, well…it's tradition by now. What did you do for Christmas?"

"I worked a double homicide; it was far less enjoyable than your holiday. I did go have dinner with my mother on Christmas Eve though." He grinned at Heather, "Her name is Gloria."

Heather laughed, "See, double monograms are lyrical and they are catching; Gloria, Gil, Grissom. It works."

He smiled as he pulled to a stop on his driveway. Heather gazed at him and raised an eyebrow in question. "We're here." He said opening his door. He walked quickly around the front of the vehicle noticing that she sat still in the seat staring through the windshield at his townhouse. "Let's get you some food shall we?" he said opening the door for her and taking her hand in his as she stepped out of the Tahoe.

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She sat at the bar in the little nook that served as his kitchen eating leftover pot roast, carrots, new potatoes and green beans. "My compliments to the chef." she said while cutting a portion of roast into small pieces.

"Thank you. I confess it's one of the few meals I make well; this one, chicken soup, and steaks." He grinned and shrugged.

When he fell silent she glanced at him over the rim of her glass of milk and caught him staring at her. "Yes Grissom what is it that you want to know?"

"What; you mean you can't tell?" he teased.

"Oh I can figure it out for myself if I must, but I'd rather you tell me willingly."

"I was just thinking about what it must have been like for you to discover that you have family you've never met."

She put her fork down slowly before responding. "It was wonderful, terrifying and bizarre. With regard to Sally, I'm reserving judgment until we're better acquainted. Right now I'm not sure I can be fair to her. I admit to short-sightedness here, but I've only thought of my father two ways my entire life. The first is _Dad. _The second is _my mother's husband, e_ven though she died more than thirty-four years ago. In all the time I was with him after her death, he never dated at all. Now he's somebody else's husband and somebody else's dad too. He's had more than twenty years to get comfortable with it, but it's brand new to me. She's about your age too so she feels more like a sister than a step mother. She's a nice woman and I don't want to be unfair to her just because I remember things being a lot different. After all, I'm the one who left, and she does make Dad happy. I'm glad for him. Nana Zoë says that she worried about him a lot before Sally came along. She says men are no good if left alone without a woman for too long."

"Hmm, I wonder what she'd say about my bachelor lifestyle." he mused out loud.

"During the course of my eleven day visit I got quiet an earful about you." She smiled seductively at him as she began to mimic her grandmother. First she adjusted her posture sitting up so straight and proper that it looked almost painful. Then she fixed upon him that soul piercing gaze that always unnerved him and lowered her voice an octave. "Your Mr. Grissom is an intriguing man. There's absolutely nothing wrong with him, but there are a lot of people who think there's something…_odd_ about him. He doesn't fit in well Dear." She relaxed her posture slightly, lessened the intensity of her gaze, and took a bite of food chewing carefully before she continued. "I tried to tell her that you aren't _my _Mr. Grissom, and that people also think I'm _odd_. Her only reply was to stare at me with that look."

"What look?"

"The one that makes you so uncomfortable Mr. Grissom." she teased.

"Ooh, so it isn't reserved just for outsiders. You do it to each other as well?"

She smiled mysteriously.

"Your family scares me Heather." He admitted it because she already knew it was the truth.

"My family scares a lot of people Grissom. You, however, have been awarded a distinction that most of those people don't get. My grandmother… adores you."

"Did she say that?" He was shocked and a bit too eager to hear the answer, but he couldn't help himself.

"As she answered she stood up and retrieved her insulin kit from the corner of the bar. "She didn't have to _say_ it. Nana doesn't speak at all of people she doesn't care for…and she spoke of you frequently during my visit. Now," she jiggled her kit for effect "if you will be so kind as to point me toward the bathroom, Sir…"

"If you will give me the number for your mechanic, I will call while you take care of your medication he said while pointing to the bathroom door."

She set the kit down again and picked up her purse. From inside she withdrew a small fine looking leather bound book, turned to a page half way through and then handed it to Grissom. "Travis Marks is the man you want to speak with. Once you get him on the line explain that you are calling on my behalf. Tell him where the vehicle is, and he will take care of it. If he asks about payment tell him I'm cashing in on that favor he owes me and he is to deliver the SUV to my house once it is fixed."

As she picked up her kit again and turned to leave the room Grissom called after her, "How will he move it without that keyless gadget you have? He can't get the doors open."

"He has one too Grissom." She smiled at his perplexed look

"Wait, your mechanic delivers?"

"She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a sultry look before she closed the bathroom door. "He will for me."

He rubbed the back of his neck as he glanced at the address book and found the name of the man he was to call. The entry in her book was comprised of only the basic information; his name and a phone number; nothing more. He took a minute to silently wonder; "Who is Travis Marks? What favor does he owe her? The only person I'd give the key to my vehicle to is my mother, so what is his relationship to her? Oh good God man don't drive yourself mad; just dial the phone!" He felt as if he'd been scammed when he realized that he'd dialed the number for the local Mercedes Benz dealership. Of course any employee would have access to one of those keyless entry things. He explained who he was to Travis after the man came on the line, and why he was calling. He told the man where to find the vehicle, and why they had left it there.

"No problem Mr. Grissom. Tell Miss Heather I'll fix it tonight if possible and I'll call her if I need longer. It depends on what's wrong with it."

"It'll surely be passed closing time by the time you get it back to the dealership." Grissom said this knowing he was hoping for some sliver of information if he could keep the man on the line long enough. He still didn't understand what indebted this guy to Heather, and she had deliberately told him of this favor to tease his; to leave him curious, and it was working too.

"That doesn't matter Mr. Grissom. If I have what I need to fix it tonight, then I will. It doesn't matter how late I have to stay up. My wife and I owe her the world on a silver platter."

"May I ask the nature of your debt?"

"She didn't tell you herself? No, she would never divulge that information without our permission. She's too much a lady for that." He answered his own question as Grissom listened. "My wife and I…we lost our daughter for a little while." His emphasize on the word lost told Grissom that he didn't mean lost as if the girl had gone missing. "Miss Heather took her in and eventually she got Mel to come back to us again. So… you tell her for me that I'll fix any car she wants me to gladly. She will be okay won't she? I'm assuming you were able to get her some food in time to help her."

"Yes, she is fine now; out of danger. I'll give her your regards, and thank you for tolerating my curiosity Sir." He hung up after the man's assurance that he didn't mind in the least, and when he looked up from the book he still held in his hand he found Heather standing in front of him eyeing him; reading his mind. She did not speak for a long moment.

At last she asked, "Did you solve the mystery?"

She was teasing him devilishly and she knew it. He shrugged as if he didn't care and nodded. She cocked her head to one side and toyed with the pendant that lay just north of her breasts while she studied him.

"Will you call me a cab?"

He usually didn't like to have people here in his house; it was his private place. Heather was different though. As uncomfortable as she made him at times; he wanted her to stay or to at least _want_ to stay, but obviously she wanted to go. He had watched her discretely look around his home while she ate. She'd made no comments at all, not about his mounted butterflies or the terrariums that held his various critters, or the books that spilled from every available shelf. The few people he had allowed here had always commented on at least those three things, but not her. She probably couldn't wait to leave. She was used to finer things than what she saw here. He tried not to be disappointed that she wanted to go. It didn't work though. "I've drive you home Heather." he offered trying to prolong their time together.

"No you won't. I've imposed on you long enough today, and you are exhausted. You will call me a cab, then you will go upstairs take a nice hot shower and go to bed; and you will sleep. I am going to take my things and sit outside on that nice bench under that big tree and watch the bees and butterflies while I wait for my cab. She started collecting her things, but as she was about to open his front door she stopped and hesitated briefly; set her belongings down and walked back to him slowly; stopping a mere inch in front of him. She was so close that he could feel her breath caress his mouth. "There's one other thing you will do Mr. Grissom."

He raised an eyebrow and nodded unable to resist the urge to comply with any wish she had.

"You will stop worrying."

Before he could question her; he felt her hands at the back of his neck, her fingers tangling in his curls as she pulled him closer still and kissed him hard on the mouth. Her kiss was hungry and demanding and he was somewhat shocked by her boldness until he felt her bite down on his lower lip, and then lick the very spot she had bitten. After that he didn't care anymore; if she wanted to behave that way it was fine with him. He surrendered to her kiss; knotted his fists in her silky hair and let her explore his mouth. Her tongue trailed fire licking at the flames of his mounting desire until she decided she was finished with him and tried to push away. He held tight to her and growled against her mouth, "No you stay. It's my turn now! He kissed her just as hard as she had him, but felt no tension or resistance in her at all. She was not shocked in the least when he bit down on her lip subjecting her to the same rough treatment. She accepted it, and wanted more. She let him kiss her, let him explore just as she had. She let him taste her; let him satisfy his own curiosity at least up until the point that he felt a tremor dance through her body and her knees started to give a bit. Then she pushed hard enough against his chest to break the kiss. He moved his arms to her waist and held her against him as she tried to push free.

"Heather stay." he said firmly.

She smiled pleased that he wanted her to stay. "No." she peered up at him. "You need sleep. You won't get any if I stay."

"Promise?" he grinned at her wickedly.

"Call me the next time you have a night off and find out." was her equally wicked reply. "Now let me go. What was I saying before I kissed you?"

He loosened his hold so that she could break free if she really wanted to, but did not let her go. She stayed where she was. "I have no idea what you were saying. I forgot everything when you bit me. Who cares?

She swatted his chest playfully and screwed up her face in thought of a long moment.

"See, you forgot too!" he declared with a smug grin.

She pretended to ignore his smug sense of accomplishment. "I told you that you will stop worrying."

He grinned, "Done, I have no idea what I was worried about."

"That I wanted to leave here." She told him with a smile.

"Oh yeah!" He wrinkled his nose as he shook his head. "I'm not worried anymore." he announced.

"Good." She kissed him one last time. This time the kiss was softer, sweeter; but it was still just as hungry as the first kiss. She broke away before either of them could succumb to temptation and left his arms. "Go to bed. You can go to sleep. You have nothing to worry about; I will come back." She promised as she walked to his front door. As she passed through, she glanced back at him. Her sultry words of farewell were "Sweet dreams Mr. Grissom."

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